BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEXINGTON -- Kentucky's U.S. Senate candidates covered a lot of ground in their first debate Sunday night, from Social Security and Kosovo to airline tickets and screenwriting courses.
Northern Kentucky's Jim Bunning, a Republican from Southgate, and Lexington Democrat Scotty Baesler argued policy, defended their records in the U.S. House and took some political and personal shots during an hourlong debate broadcast to a statewide TV audience.
"I have proven I can get the job done," said Mr. Bunning -- adding that he has had bills passed bills about, among other issues, protecting Social Security and giving tax credits to people who adopt children. "My ideas are not far right or far left, they're right down the middle like most Kentuckians . . . but I can get things done and he can't."
Mr. Baesler tried to draw attention to his deep roots in Kentucky, including his upbringing on a central Kentucky tobacco farm.
"What you see is what you get with Scotty Baesler," Mr. Baesler said. "He speaks the language of Kentucky."
On Social Security, Mr. Bunning said it was his bill that the U.S. House passed last weekend that earmarks 90 percent of the $1.6 trillion federal surplus for Social Security. The bill also uses part of the surplus to pay for an $80 billion tax cut.
But Mr. Baesler, who voted against the bill, said Mr. Bunning broke a campaign promise by not allocating all of the surplus to Social Security.
"That's what Jim did, he went around the state saying he was going to put 100 percent of the surplus into Social Security, but he didn't," Mr. Baesler said.
On violence in Kosovo, Mr. Baesler said he would support airstrikes to quell the ethnic violence between ethnic Albanians and Serbs. "Sometimes we don't like to be the policeman for the whole world . . . but we have to be prepared to take an active part," he said.
Mr. Bunning said he did not support sending troops to Bosnia "in the first place."
Mr. Bunning said one of his sons, an Air Force pilot stationed in Italy, is part of the peacekeeping force enforcing the no-fly zone over the region.
"He has no business being there," Mr. Bunning said. "As soon as we pull our troops out of there, the warring factions are going to go back to war. The United States has a role in peacekeeping, but we can't be the policemen of the world."
The debate turned personal on a few occasions.
Mr. Bunning mentioned that, since being elected to Congress, Mr. Baesler has earned a master's degree and taken a screenwriting course.
"My gracious, what have you been doing?" Mr. Bunning said. Mr. Baesler, in comments apparently designed to paint Mr. Bunning as an elitist, asked Mr. Bunning why he often sits in first-class when flying home to Kentucky.
"I fly coach . . . but you are up in first-class," Mr. Baesler said. "Wouldn't in be more appropriate if congressmen sat in coach?"
Mr. Bunning said he flies so often he receives upgrades from airlines that allow him to move from the less-expensive coach seats to first-class.
"I'm a little bigger than you are, Scotty. I need a little bigger seat," said the 6-foot-5 Mr. Bunning.
The two are scheduled to debate again at 8 p.m. next Sunday on KET. The campaigns agreed last month to only two debates.
Kentucky's U.S. Senate seat is open because incumbent Democrat Wendell Ford of Owensboro is retiring this year after four terms in office.
